Jiming Temple

CHINA, Jiangsu, Nanjing

The name Jiming means Cockcrow. It is also called Tongtai Temple. It was founded in 300 during the Western Jin dynasty, and was reconstructed in 527 during the Southern Dynasties. When Emperor Wu (reigned 502–549) attended the temple, it was raised to the status of number one temple, outranking the other 480 temples of the Southern Dynasties. However, it was later destroyed during civil unrest in 549. It was rebuilt and repaired a number of times. A major restoration took place in 1387 during the Ming dynasty, and there were two large-scale renovations during the time of Emperor Kangxi (reigned 1661–1722) of the Qing dynasty. From 1983 onwards the temple was gradually restored to its Ming dynasty (1368–1644) form. It was listed as a Municipal Cultural Heritage Site in 1982.
The principal structures include the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, Vairocana Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, Huomeng Building, Jingyang Building, and the Medicine Buddha Pagoda. The main temple gate is built into the wall and has a single arched gate and double-eave roof. To the side of the main temple gate there is the Zhigong Platform, in memory of the monk Baozhi, who was Emperor Wu’s master. The Great Hero Hall and the Avalokitesvara Hall house gifts from Thailand: two gilt bronze statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Avalokitesvara Hall has a single-eave flushed gable roof with stepped gables, a common feature found on houses in Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River). The seven-story octagonal Medicine Buddha Pagoda is 44.8 m high. It was rebuilt in 1990. The pagoda houses a copper statue of the Medicine Buddha, which was cast in the Ming dynasty and relocated from Yonghe Palace. Four exterior niches are located on every level of the pagoda. A Medicine Buddha carved from phoebe wood is enshrined within each niche. The pagoda’s copper spire weighs 5.5 t and glitters in the sunlight.